Correspondence between Jinnah and Nehru on Interim Government Formation

Sub title : Negotiations on Power-Sharing, Minority Representation, and the "Formula"

Subject: Indian Interim Government | Congress-Muslim League Negotiations | Constitutional Formula

Date of publication: 1946

Language: English

Page: 7 p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 28363

Keyword: Jinnah -- Nehru -- Gandhi -- Congress -- Muslim League -- Interim Government -- Formula | Minority Representation -- Scheduled Castes -- Vice-Presidentship | Power-Sharing -- October 1946 -- Cabinet -- Portfolios -- Safeguards

Abstract: This file contains the exchanged letters between Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Jawaharlal Nehru in October 1946, discussing terms for the Muslim League's entry into the Interim Government. The core dispute revolves around a "formula" recognizing each party's representative authority, alongside disagreements on minority representation, safeguards on communal issues, and the Vice-Presidentship. The correspondence ends with Nehru noting the League has agreed to join the government despite the unresolved disagreements.

Description: This document is a complete set of letters exchanged between Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Jawaharlal Nehru between 6–14 October 1946, released to the press. It captures the detailed and ultimately unsuccessful negotiations to secure a political agreement between the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League for the functioning of the Interim Government. The letters focus on a disputed "formula" for mutual recognition, the League's non-acceptance of Congress-chosen minority representatives, demands for rotational vice-presidency, and safeguards on major communal decisions. The correspondence highlights the deep distrust and differing interpretations that characterized Congress-League relations on the eve of independence. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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